For conventional automobiles with just front wheel steering, it is known to provide so-called rear steer plates on lifts and the like for lifting the vehicle, or possibly independently of the lift for use on a level surface. At the front, for the steering wheels, it is usual to provide a steer plate which is mounted on a circle of ball bearings for rotation about a vertical axis. Further, this front plate is capable of some limited lateral movement. This then enables all aspects of the front wheel alignment of a vehicle to be checked.
For conventional automobiles, the rear wheels have no steering function, and hence alteration to the rear wheel alignment is usually a minor consideration. Nonetheless, it is known to provide slide plates, which are mounted on long, thin rollers. The rollers extend parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, so as to permit the side plates to move from side to side. This enables the camber of the rear wheels to be adjusted if desired.
More recently, cars or automobiles have been introduced which incorporate four wheel steering. For these vehicles, the front wheels provide the main steering function, but in some circumstances additional steering is provided by the rear wheels.
As a result, more attention has to be paid to checking the alignment of the rear wheels. In particular, both the camber and toe in angles of the rear wheels may need to be adjusted. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a rear steering plate, which is capable of both rotational as well as lateral movement.
Steering plates may be provided either individually, or in conjunction with an hydraulic lift. An example, of an hydraulic lift is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,930, assigned to the same assignee as the present invention. The contents of this earlier U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,930 are hereby incorporated by reference.